Comfort properties of 3D-knitted seamless female body armour vests

Abstract This paper reports the comfort properties of 3D-knitted seamless female body armour vests evaluated by using a thermal manikin. The vests were designed as a complete garment with eliminating the conventional cutting and sewing, to improve fit and comfort for female police officers. The vests were tested on thermal manikin dressed with vests only and manikin dressed with a police officer’s uniform including the vests. Both dry thermal insulation and evaporative resistance were evaluated for comfort properties. The results showed that five-layer assembly of fitted-vest provided an acceptable level of thermal insulation. However, the evaporative resistance of the loose-vest showed better results compared to the fitted-vest, which was proved by the lower surface temperature on the thermal imaging. This research established that the 3D-knitted seamless body armour vests can provide an effective solution for the body armour requirement for female officers. The results also suggested that increasing the number of layers will increase the weight and reduced level of comfort, however they were effective in providing the necessary protection from low-level stab threats, which was shown in the earlier publication.

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